Cracker & Criminal Intent

[Jared]

Does anyone else suspect that the US show Law & Order: Criminal Intent was inspired by Cracker?

I think on some level it was, because in both you have a big, very intelligent, unpredictable, and slightly unbalanced guy in the lead who intensely interviews his suspects in unusual ways. You also see things through the criminal's eyes and often their psychological viewpoint.

The main difference, of course, is the lack of personal storylines, and the relative brevity of the Criminal Intent stories (1hr long episodes that have all been stand-alones so far)

I think that the similarities between the two, in terms of content and, to a lesser degree, in tone, are marked. It's kinda like Cracker: Lite. Anyone else agree?

[Admin]

I've never seen it, to be honest. I'm sure it's probably been screened over here in the UK at some point. It's strange, despite the fact I love 'Cracker' I rarely watch many other crime dramas. I think, as a bit of a soap opera fan myself, the soap element in 'Cracker' is what drew me in as much as the crime stories, and I like the mix of that. I might have to watch out for 'Law & Order' if it gets screened here though, and see what I think of it.

Do you know how long 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent' has been running for, Jared?

[Jared]

I think it's going into it's fifith season in the U.S this year, which would mean it began in 2000.